Without Yoenis Cespedes, who is the Mets slugger?
Without Yoenis Cespedes, who is the Mets slugger?
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL – During the Mets’ surprise run to the NL pennant in 2015, Yoenis Cespedes led the team with 35 regular-season home runs, including 17 in 57 games with the Amazins. He went yard 31 times the following season, the last the time team made the playoffs. No other Met has cracked 30 since 2015.
Power doesn’t guarantee championships, but it does seem to help. The past three champions have had a player with at least 34 home runs: J.D. Martinez led the Red Sox with 43 homers last year. George Springer led the Astros with 34 homers in 2017. Kris Bryant led the Cubs with 39 homers in 2016.
See the trend?
Robinson Cano insisted the Mets have sluggers on their current roster, but one of the first players that crossed his mind was Cespedes. The problem is, Cespedes’ long recovery from double-heel surgery will force the outfielder to watch from the bench until at least the All-Star break.
“La Potencia’s” absence from the lineup raises the question, who are the Mets counting on to be their slugger?
The Mets clubhouse points unanimously to Michael Conforto to become the slugging substitute for Cespedes. And the 26-year-old is up for the challenge.
"I think I can be that guy,” Conforto said. “I think I have been that guy in 2017 and at the end of 2018.”
It helps that Conforto was two long balls away from cracking 30 home runs last season, were it not for the injury-ridden delayed start that plagued him.
“We don't have, without Cespedes, guys that can hit 40 home runs a year,” Conforto said. “But I think we have guys that have that potential. I think I'm a guy that has that potential. But in order to do that, you have to have the right approach and be able to spray the ball all over the field. Set yourself up for success in that way."
The outfielder underwent surgery on his left shoulder in September of 2017. The recovery bled into his subsequent spring training, when Conforto only played two Grapefruit League games along with a handful of simulation games. He was due back in the majors by May, but a speedy return saw him debut on April 5 – missing just five regular season games.
Conforto launched a home run in his return from the disabled list, then his bat went quiet for many months. The outfielder slashed just .216/.344/.366 on a .710 OPS with 86 strikeouts over 85 game appearances from his April debut to the All-Star break.
Down the stretch, Conforto gradually swung back into form. He batted .281 and boosted his OPS to .981 with nine homers, 29 RBI and 17 runs scored over his final 28 games in September. Primed for a breakout season, Conforto has hit for average and power in Mets camp.
Conforto thinks power hitters are important in a winning lineup, but the traditional definition of a slugger is changing.
"I think the newest thing that I've seen are the guys that can do more than just hit the ball out of the park,” Conforto said. “You have to be able to control the zone. You have to be able to get on base. More power guys are high OPS guys. The Votto's, the Harper's, the Trout's of the world. That's something that I've definitely taken to.”
Conforto said he’s taking a page out of Cano’s book and hitting situationally against shifts. He’s found success in changing his approach to avoid falling right into the opposing team’s trap. With focus on becoming a multifaceted hitter by getting on base and driving in runs, Conforto is hitting more home runs as a result.
"You look at J.D. Martinez, Alex Bregman, George Springer. What you see is their ability to work counts and have speed,” Conforto said. “They do things well on the bases. I think that makes pitchers have a little bit more anxiety. Pitchers can't make a mistake, or else they're going to hurt them.
“It's easier said than done because everybody loves home runs. I think that the idea is to be able to do more than just hit the ball really long ways."
First baseman Dominic Smith said power hitters are essential for a lineup. He said the current Mets roster has a combination of players who hit the long ball and have on-base percentage. But when it comes to instilling fear in the opposing pitcher, Smith said situational hitters may have the advantage.
From a pitcher’s perspective, Zack Wheeler echoed Smith in that batters who can work the count are more of a threat at the plate than sluggers. Wheeler said hitters like Brandon Nimmo, who excels at forcing pitchers to be careful in the zone, cause an extra degree of agitation on the mound.
"Honestly, for me, I think it's easier to pitch to a power guy,” Wheeler said. “I feel like they have more holes. Guys who put the bat on the ball, that's obviously tougher. If you do make a mistake, then they can hit it for a home run.
“But a power guy, just a power guy that's trying to hit home runs, most of the time you can throw them something off-speed and they'll just chase it in the dirt and you can sort of get away with it. But situational guys, they have a very good eye and they'll take a walk if they need to."
That’s not to say Wheeler doesn’t think it’s important to have a slugger in the lineup, but that it’s best to sprinkle a little bit of everything – players who can get on base and power hitters that take advantage when runners are on base.
"We have a lot of young guys that have the potential to be a power hitter,” Wheeler said. “I think Conforto drives to gaps. He drives the ball up tremendously. And if he gets his pitch, he can hit it 500 feet.”
Source : https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-sports-mets-slugger-yoenis-cespedes-michael-conforto-20190325-4ad3ibaxcffrbkrjzgqdl4ezey-story.html
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